Selling is a Numbers Game?

No... But it is a game of numbers.

I once attended a meeting with Brian Tracy in which Brian was introducing a new training product, and as he started the meeting there were a number of people from my industry that Brain introduced personally. One of his top representatives had just sold his company for a large sum of money and when Brian asked him what his key to success was his answer was simple... "Know your numbers."

The statement "selling is a numbers game" implies that just throwing numbers up each week will insure results - not true. Results may come, but they come with no guarantee. There must be a level of quality in everything we do in selling - including, prospecting, closing deals and providing customer care to insure consistent results.

Once you begin doing everything with minimum standard of quality... then selling is truly a game of numbers.

Start with learning your ratios for prospecting and closing sales. Keep track of everyone you contact and which encounters turn into appointments. Keep track of every presentation and which opportunities turn into sales. If your company won't track data in a format that motivates you to excel, do it yourself.

Over the years I've seen top people reach superior levels of success by pushing themselves to improve on their numbers. Leads gathered, units sold, revenue generated - you name it. They only needed to see the information and they were inspired to take action.

I've also seen weak sales people manipulate numbers to make themselves look better than they are performing. Big mistake. Usually the blank for sales made ____ can't be manipulated... All the BS they put in other blanks won't add up in the long run and in the end, the real results will expose their weakness and lack of ethics.

The best approach is to be honest and consistent in determining your ratios. Once you've done that, set out to improve them. If 10% of your leads turn into appointments - get that number to 20%. How many of your appointments cancel? Cut that number in half - would that make a difference in your income? You bet.

Follow the lead of every major sport in the world. Owners, coaches, players (and their agents)know their stats! It's the difference in what they pay and get paid. Know your numbers and reach the level of success you deserve.

TK